PabFzKw Typ 46
The 'Panzerabwehrfahrzeug auf Fahrgestell Kampfwagen Typ 46 '(abbreviated PabFzKw Typ 46) was a Blue German Tank Destroyer developed in the late 1940s. produced by Breitenbachstraße Maschinenbau GmbH. Design The PabFzKw Typ 47 is based off the Nashorn tank destroyer. Like the PabFz Typ 47, however, the PabFzKw in Frontlines is a serially produced vehicle while the Nashorn was an interim vehicle. History Blue Germany observed the rising power of Fascist France with great unease during the mid 1940s, especially as their own power grew. It became increasingly obvious by 1944 that conflict with the Third Empire would come at some point. This put the Blue German war machine into full swing with the induction of the Six Year Plan (Sechsjahresplan), a Blue German initiative to surpass the military capability of the French within six years. One area that caused the Germans the most apprehension was French armor. The French had rapidly modernized their armored doctrine in the years after the Fascist Crisis, modeling their new tanks off the idea of quick maneuver warfare. The Germans, who had helped to pioneer this approach, had taken a backseat in tank development but now felt the impetus to catch up, especially with the appearance of newer and larger French tanks during the Iberian War. While new tanks were in development, the German Armored Forces Command decided that tank destroyers should be developed to destroy French tanks at long range. Several broad specifications were issued for this type of vehicle, including Spezifikation Ab. 7 ''of January 1946 which called for a medium-sized tank destroyer armed with an 88mm gun and weighing less than 30 tons. Breitenbachstraße Maschinenbau GmbH, who were in the process of developing what would become the Kampfwagen Typ 46 medium tank (to replace both the Kw Typ 39 and Kw Typ 40), were contacted by the review board in February with the idea of using the Kw Typ 46 as a basis for a tank destroyer (then known by the internal designation Traktor D). The Breitenbaschstraße company replied with a plan to mount an 8mm anti-tank gun on an open mounting on the Traktor D chassis. This design was rejected, however, due to lack of protection for the crew. In May, a new design was submitted that featured an open-top casemate design that protected the crew significantly better than the original design. This design was approved and construction on Traktor D chassis 10 started in June. By August, the vehicle was mostly complete, except for the 88mm gun, which was delayed until the start of September. During that time, however, vehicular testing (with a simulated gun) showed the vehicle (known as Traktor F within Breitenbachstraße) performed relatively well for its intended role. The gun was fitted in mid-September and the vehicle was promptly sent to Kummersdorf, the German Army armored vehicle testing center. The vehicle continued to be testing through October and was formally accepted on October 27, 1946, as ''Panzerabwehrfahrzeug auf Fahrgestell Kampfwagen Typ 46. ''250 units of this type were ordered from Breitenbachstraße to equip 400-series ''Panzerabwehr ''Battalions. The 400-series Battalions each equipped about 40 Typ 46 units along with their various support needs; the 400-series were equipped with medium (''mittel) sized vehicles like the Typ 46, while 500-series units possessed larger units like the PabFz Typ 47, and 300-series units possessed smaller units. Category:Vehicles Category:Tank Destroyers Category:Armored Vehicles Category:Breitenbachstraße Maschinenbau GmbH Products